This venerable recipe, from “Cooking the Roman Way” by David Downie, calls for guanciale (cured pork jowl), but pancetta or bacon will do nicely.

Spaghetti Alla Gricia
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1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pepperoncino (hot chile pepper), shredded or 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
8 ounces guanciale, pancetta or bacon sliced 1/4 inch thick, then roughly chopped
1 1/2 pounds spaghetti
About 1 1/2 cups freshly grated, good-quality Pecorino Romano cheese

Bring 5 quarts of salted water to boil in a large pot. Heat oil in a very large, high-sided fry pan over medium. Add pepperoncino and guanciale; saute, stirring until meat is crisp, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Drop pasta into boiling water, stir. Cover the pot. When water returns to boil, cook uncovered until pasta is barely al dente, about 1 minute less than package cooking time.

Return fry pan to medium heat. Drain pasta and toss it in still dripping. Saute for about 30 seconds, tossing, stirring and scraping. Turn off heat, stir in 6 heaping tablespoons of cheese and let pasta sit for 30 seconds. Serve in deep bowls; pass remaining cheese. Makes 6 servings.